Solasta: Crown of the Magister (D&D 5e OGL cRPG)
New cRPG from indie French studio Tactical Adventures using the D&D 5e OGL:
https://www.solasta-game.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096530/Solasta_Crown_of_the_Magister/
"Verticality" is their big hook. The game will include flying, climbing, levitating, teleporting, etc. They plan on going to Kickstarter soon. You can register for their newsletter on their website.
https://www.solasta-game.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096530/Solasta_Crown_of_the_Magister/
"Verticality" is their big hook. The game will include flying, climbing, levitating, teleporting, etc. They plan on going to Kickstarter soon. You can register for their newsletter on their website.
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Comments
Yeah we're apparently going through a silly phase where cRPGs being TB is what's fashionable. It's a dumbing things down, holding people's hand, and appealing to the lowest common denominator thing, which is nowadays also the case with movies, TV shows, and other mass consumption products and services.
I'll hold my nose and tolerate TB if it is at least well done, which is to say not like the D:OS games, even while other aspects of the game are strong (story, character development, branching dialog, strong party interactions, choice and consequence, etc.).
edit : liked the trailer
edit 2 : Did they mentioned fly and darkness? at 1:20 on video bellow? Even P:K din't implemented it...
Fly is something that even pathfinder kingmaker that is my favorite modern cRPG din't implemented, there are wings but they only are used to ignore difficulty terrain. The last RPG that i played and allowed fly was Morrowind(levitation) and Might & Magic VI-VIII. And the last RPG with climbing that i played was daggerfall. Finally some dev that wanna pick something that old games did and IMPROVE upon what was made. Not dumb down or cut features. Where i pre order?
Compare this to "missing not work", "leveling is too slow" and "spell slots are not intuitive".... Seriously. except on Morrowind and on M&M VI-VIII, where i can cast fly/levitation?
Agreed. I'm really loving where this game is going and have been posting quite a bit on their forum. Sure feels like Solasta - despite NOT being a D&D game - will reflect D&D 5e much more accurately than BG3!
On DDO, you can use jump unfortnetly is capped at 40, but the game has a lot of mmoish mechanics(CDs, much grinding), the numbers are too inflated, but i don't know any D&D game where you can jump morrowind style.
I always wanted to make a "Belkar´s halfling rage jumping attack"
In other party-based games like POE your barbarian and rogue can jump, in DaO you can do somersaults, the assassin and barbarian in diablo 2 can also jump and kick; but in fact, you are really playing in 2D, the jumps are only aesthetic.
GAmeplay
I an hipped by the game since their comments about fly/climb. I can't fly/levitate in a RPG game since Morrowind and M&M VIII.
Still claimed one of the Early Bird tiers for the heck of it. Maybe they will surprise me and plan a Linux version. Otherwise I'd have to cancel my pledge at the end.
Edit: Scratch that. Got an official reply that Linux isn't on the table for them. Adieu Solasta!
" As stated previously, those 4 races / classes are what we currently guarantee to have at launch - however we're likely to add more to the page by the time the game is released. " https://forums.solasta-game.com/forum/official-or-oglbasic
I usually like more classes who tends to be more chaotic. IMO Sorcerer > Wizards, Barbarian > Fighter, Druid > Cleric. Not in "power" but in "cool factor". Fully voice acting compromisses the variety in games. I mean, imagine if PF:KM had to voice act all dialogs for all classes and archetypes, and they interact a lot. When i heard about PF:KM, i searched and posted an steam tread asking if i would be able to be an silver dragon sorcerer or if they will restrict me to be red only like most games, they said that i could be of most pnp bloodlines and i pre ordered the game. No more questions asked. The unique game that i pre ordered in my entire life...
Considering how much classes interact, have more than 5 classes would be a nightmare due voice acting. I will not be surprised IF classes becomes gender locked due the fact that voice act an male and female wizard would require a lot of resources...
And looks like the level cap will be 10(not confirmed) but "An epic single-player campaign that will take your party from level 1 to level 10. " source > https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tacticaladventures/solasta-crown-of-the-magister/description
I loved ToEE but had to install Co8 to remove the lv 10 lv cap, because i hate being capped at low/mid level. I hope for their success, since they have an original idea, but will not pre order or "found"...
More classes will be welcome at any game. I recently played knights of the chalice, and it is a very nice conversion of D&D 3.5 rules into a videogame, but you only have three classes (fighter, wizard, cleric) so It really lost any replayability value for me, even if the game was fun.
I tried KotC too. Was good at beggining, but some encounters i found much more hard by the game artificially limiting spell ranges compared to pnp, not allowing pre combat buff, and the lack of skill checks resulted in concentration failures even when my wizard received no damage... In an part, you fail into an trap, no skill check, just fail and everyone starts before you and put your party under nasty effects. If my wizard is failing to dispell the effects despite taking no damage, i could only restart the encounter.
Also, the games severely limits resting but allow you to easily make scrolls/wands, so you spend a lot of time micromanaging your inventory to heal everyone...
Summoning(restricted to only one creature) and shapeshift is awful too. Much weaker than other games 3e games. You in frost gigant form isn't much deadlier than you in human form... In other games like NWN1, shapeshift is broken in the other extreme and can make you have stats above deities
IMG took from an video "Neverwinter Nights 1 Dragon Force Druid Build" at 32:30
If they don't need to voice act everything, i can bet that they would have resources to put at least the core classes.
The demo looks and plays really well for pre-alpha. The grid/turn -based gameplay is great. Art direction is spot on. They're staying as true to tabletop as they can.
Really stoked about this game. Only thing that it is sorely lacking is multiplayer co-op. I hope Solasta will be insanely successful so that the sequel can have a toolset and co-op. A turn based 5e NWN for one party, yes please!
"Voting period ends Sunday 22nd. Paladin is currently in the lead (not by much)!"
source> https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tacticaladventures/solasta-crown-of-the-magister/posts/2627025
I suggested on their forum that they should add WLK class https://forums.solasta-game.com/forum/an-more-unique-classwarlock-wlk-5e-ogl
Wo-ho-ho, Ranger is in the lead again in twitter. I certainly hope they will not let out the warriors of nature and pick the goody-two-shoes instead =(
Druids are not right now in the game either, I hope we could have ranger at least.
Warlocks will also be welcome, the ones in NWN2 were horrid. And hellfire warlocks even worse...
After play the demo I really enjoyed the TB combat in 5e style, and the dungeons in 3D, with traps and jumps. The dialog mechanic was also up to my alley. The management of light in combat to avoid penalties was fresh first but becomes a chore very fast. The only thing that would be welcome is more character classes. You only get to see the default ones in your party. Kits were interesting, tho.
About Rangers VS Paladins. Correct me if i an wrong, but Rangers was not supposed to be the weakest 5e class? Yes, between Paladins and Druids, i would choose Druids. But between rangers and paladins, i think that paladins will not be an waste of resources only used on challenge runs... I heard that Rangers are just weaker fighters in AC, BAB, saves, etc.
About WLK on NWN2, try this mod > https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn2/other/warlock-reworked-102g
Makes most invokcations more like pnp. No, WLK is not the at will flying teleporting invisible chilling tentacle thrower/ eldritch spear ballista sniper with unlimited ammo eldritch horror that can also make you permanently a toad that he was on pnp due engine limitations, but is far stronger with this mod, most invokations are corrected, tentacles grapple, the DC from eldritch blast is corrected. The dead walk animates can raise an undead army. But some invocations are not corrected. Even with mods For eg, Wall of Perilous Flame. The duration should be cast caster level / rounds like on pnp and deal 2d6+caster level like on pnp, but by some reason, lasts only 3 rounds(18 sec) and deals 2d6 + CHA mod, making it not only far weaker than pnp, but also weaker than an Sorcerer similar spell(Wall_of_Fire) that is very pnp like on damage and duration...
My main reason to suggest WLK is that you have clerics/wizards/fighters/rogues in cRPG's adaptations since Pool of Radiance(1988), but except on D&DO and on NWN2, in what adaptation you can play as a WLK and note that WLK is not faithful to pnp on both games...
In the remake of Pool of radiance: RoMD (2001) they had monks and rangers, and it is a 2001 game. It is nice to have kits for the classes to add variety, but some more of them would be welcome.
Rangers are undoubtedly far worse than the paladins´ powerhouse in melee combat in every way possible, but they offer a better skillset and different RP options outside combat IMHO; because you do not have any survivalist class (there are no barbarians or druids in the game), a marksman-specialist class nor a class with animal companions (5e familiars are spirits). The kits of the ranger class seem interesting.
If I have to choose, I definitely choose both, but if only one is possible, I think another melee class or healer class is redundant.
PRC on nwn1 if i remember correctly added Psion. As for long range, WLK has an good long range capabilities. Eldritch Spear on 5e has 300 feet range (on 3.5e is 250), after 150 feet, an longbow has the range penalty. With sniper spell, Eldricht Spear can hit at the same distance of max range of an longbow(600 feet > https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/30hom3/eldritch_blast_eldritch_spear_spell_sniper_600ft/ )
Not mentioning that fighters can use longbows at great distance.
Anyway, independent of classes available, i will buy probably. Unless they decide to do an awful thing, like limit all martial classes to males and all caster classes to females like some games did due budget reasons. Or put tons of boring puzzles in every dungeon... I just think that they should prioritize classes that are uncommon on other adaptations... Just like i love PFKM but i wish that they had added more pathfinder only classes.
If you want something different they could include monks, rangers(or druids) and Warlocks instead. I think those classes offer very different options in RP and tactics if you compare it with the classic poker: fighter-cleric-mage-rogue
PRC is a mod resource. They also made witches in P:K with a mod, amongst other classes, but not in the actual game.
Sadly They will never implement that amount of shooting range in this kind of game. They always shortened the ranges because of cell limitations and balance.
ED:
Same as me, but I digress in the puzzle thing. I hope they put scripted interactions, skill checks, dialog challenges, traps, platform waypoints, and puzzles. they have 3D, I hope they use it wisely.
The thing is that if you put obscure classes in the game and you do not put the classes that everyone expected you will have complaints. But I agree that if you include class options that no other game has will make the game stand out from the crowd.
Real WlK is a must, but there are new additions like Artificer or Blood Hunter.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/blood-hunter
https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/artificer
And it would be a pity if you cannot have the bard. They are very useful in 5e.
On NWN2, even without the warlock reworked mod, you can hit enemies at 250 feet with eldritch spear. As for balance, everything that the PC can use, an NPC can use. That said, an group of mercenary elves/half elves who was hired to kill my party and started to snipe our party at night while we was sleeping with poison arrows was one of the hardest situations that i had to deal in a pnp campaign. Mainly because most of the party was exhausted without spells to deal with this situation.
On a CRPG, instead of "your ballista can only hit enemies at 20m", they should make enemies detect when being sniped and use spells like darkness, teleport, etc. Just like some people suggested limiting buffs on PF:KM to solve the above deity AC level that some builds can reach but IMO an best solution is to make enemies cast dispel on earlier game and disjunction in late game...